Animal Sacrifice in Orissa - High Court's Order Ignored

Animal Sacrifice in Orissa Festival

The Malkangiri Town wore a festive look since the four day long biennial festival "Badayatra" beganwith much fanfare with the arrival of deities Balraj, Kanamraj, Potraj and goddess Mutyaluma at the Kanyamajhibandha here on Saturday,19 March early morning.

As per traditions, the Kondh, Paraja, Koya, Bonda, Bhumia and Gadava Adivasis in Malkangiri district bring out the principal deities Kanamraju (Krishna), Balaraju (Arjuna), Potaraju (Bhima) and Mutulaumma (Durga) in a colorful procession to appease the principal goddess, Mutulaumma from the remote Manyamkonda village, with much fanfare covering about 70 km distance to observe the Bada yatra festival once in every two years.

Earlier, a team of devotees from Malkangiri town reached Manyamkonda village to invite all the four deities. Accordingly, the deities were arrived in the temple town of Malkangiri in a grand procession while passing across Gubeluru, Kalimela, Potteru, Sikhpalli and Tamasa areas since the festival really started from it's original abode Manyamkonda a month back. All the four deities were taken out amid chanting of mantras and beating of drums by tribal heads from near by villages. As the deities passed the villages, the locals sacrificed animals in every step to get blessings of the deities as they believe that the gods require as many as sacrifices during the festival.

Animal Sacrifice:

Despite, all out efforts of the district administration to enforce a total ban on animal sacrifice before the deities during the festival in view of the High Court order, thousands of animals were seen sacrificed in Malkangiri town, some 50 meter away from the abode of the deities.

As the administration clamped prohibitory orders at the deities abode in Malkangiri town as a precautionary step, unlike the previous festivals, the animal sacrifice rate has come down this year. Though the district administration has become successful in bringing down the animal sacrifice rate this time, a total ban could not be enforced even if the administration and police had kept a tight vigil over the situation. This has sparked off resentment among the animal's right activists and intelligentsia.